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Boys and Girls Club of Palm Springs

450 South Sunrise Way
760-327-1304

Mission:
1948 to develop boys (and in 1989, girls) into responsible adults, the Club serves children from all backgrounds, though special consideration is given to those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Seventy percent of the over 1,000 members who attend annually are from single parent families with incomes below $15,000.

History:
In January of 1948 the Boys' Club of Palm Springs became incorporated as a nonprofit, charitable organization formed to serve the guidance and character building needs of the boys of the Palm Springs area. Through the help of several members of the Palm Springs Lions Club, Frank S. Partridge became the founder of the Boys' Club which became an Associate member of the Boys' Clubs of America. At first there was an occasional hike or softball game, then as the program began to attract more members, it was decided by the Board of Directors to try to find a building out of which a clubhouse could be made. About this time the U.S. Government made available for a nominal charge a surplus barracks building, which was purchased and moved to Section 14 of the city. This building served as the home of the Boys' Club until the spring of 1957 when it became apparent that larger, more modern, and more permanent facilities were needed.The current clubhouse in 1965 during construction of the gymnasium.With the cost of a suit able location beyond the financial reach of the Board, the City of Palm Springs made available a one acre site on a 25 year lease for the fee of $1.00 per year. With the help of Desi Arnaz, who staged a fund raising party at his hotel with such celebrities as Lucille Ball, Dean Martin, and Walter Winchell, over $18,000 was raised to build the current clubhouse at 450 S. Sunrise Way, which was dedicated on December 14, 1958 .Under the direction of the Club's second and current chief executive, Jim Coston, a Girls Club building was added in 1989 to provide equal access for girls and to accommodate the increasing needs of single parent families. Dedicated by the President of the Board, Mayor Sunny Bono, Dinah Shore, and the Executive Director of the Nabisco Dinah Shore Golf Tournament, a major contributor to the project, the facility included a games room, an art room, a library, and a counseling center. The new clubhouse would provide daily service to some 125 girls for nearly a decade Today the Club serves over 1,000 boys and girls annually, providing a wide range of after school, summer, and winter programs in a safe, supervised environment. With the recent completion (Spring 2002) of the Mary Bremer Patrick Teen Center, the Club is well-positioned to meet the needs of an ever-growing number of Coachella Valley Youths. The new state-of-the-art building provides additional space to serve older children who today face more serious and difficult problems growing up than ever before. The Center focuses on programming for boys and girls ranging from fifteen to eighteen years of age, a time when they are particularly vulnerable to negative influences.


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